Doctor 'surprised' when he diagnosed Rocky Zika case

WITH symptoms including muscle aches, fevers and a rash... you could be excused for thinking the man recently diagnosed with Zika virus just had the flu.

But Dr Geoff Cashion knew there was something more serious at play on Monday when his 50-year-old patient mentioned he worked in South America.

"When I talked to him he mentioned he had been in South America and that was where he was working and he mentioned he had been in contact with people who had Zika virus, and that got me quite concerned," he said.

"I did a bit of research and it was fairly obvious that the rash he had was quite common with Zika.

"We did the testing and two days later he came back positive."

Dr Cashion said he immediately told the man not to come in contact with others, and to stay indoors.

He immediately spoke to Public Health after the initial appointment and he said they "mobilized quickly."

"(Zika) is not something we were particularly suspicious about... the key factor in this gentleman's history was that he had been in South America and had been in ares that were endemic with Zika," he said.

"He did say he doesn't believe he came into contact with any mosquitoes in Rockhampton.

"During the consultation (the patient) himself said he wondered if Zika was a possibility... but he had seen people with Zika in South America and had seen that it was essentially a mild version of dengue (fever) so he wasn't too worried.

"He is a pretty good bloke...he is a bit of a man's man."

As it is viral, there is not treatment for Zika, other than to avoid transmission.

Dr Cashion said the man would likely be sick for a couple of weeks and would make a full recovery.

He suggested those concerned about contracting the Zika virus should see a GP about testing.